The Congress is already at a premium with the government having lost its chief troubleshooter to Rashtrapati Bhawan, where a senior ally is flexing his muscles and is likely to continue this (on and off) till the next election, where the prime minister does not want to give up finance portfolio that Sonia wants to give to Home Minister P Chidambaram, where the growth rate is down, where there is monsoon deficit, where prices of essential commodities are shooting through the roof, where the government is hammered by various elements on the issues of corruption and where there is an overall policy paralysis and a sense of status quo.
The impression is that while it makes no difference whether the prime minister holds the finance portfolio or Chidambaram does, since both have nothing new to offer, what would be significant is whether Rahul's arrival in the government would mark any critical changes in its overall functioning?
Rahul has been in active politics since the last few years but has kept a low profile, preferring not to meddle in matters which do not concern him.
As far as a role in the government is concerned, he is being seen as an apprentice who would like to learn that ropes of administration and the nitty-gritty of government functioning.
Would he assert himself in such a situation? Could he be an asset to a prime minister, who has a limited role to play in his own government? These are questions still being debated as the Gandhi family continues to be withdrawn and allowing the speculation to go on but not offering any real answers.
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